Checked your tyre pressures of late?

[HawkeyeS3]

Why is it that dealers (and I mean all manufacturer dealers) can't or don't check tyre pressures. Just checked mine after a service on my S3 and they were way out and all different (low by quite afew psi). So thought I'd check the wife's A1which we picked up only 3 weeks ago and blow me down, only one tyre at the correct pressure.

I've had this before with other manufacturers, and nearly always found from new, that the pressures are not what they are supposed to be (and I cross check across 3 gauges to be sure LOL)

When was the last time you checked yours? Maybe worthwhile.

 

[Reggieboy71]

Had the car 3 weeks and to be fair have not checked the tyres!! Assumed the dealers have put the correct pressure in when I collected it!! Will check them tomorrow to be on the safe side!!

 

[MA3RC]

I checked mine about 2 months ago after 4 months of ownership and they were all massively out. I corrected them and checked last week and they're all good now. But must've been the dealers not inflating them properly

 

[Martinbanshee]

I checked mine a couple of days ago, first time I've done it since picking up the car a few weeks ago from the dealer and guess what........3 were spot on and one was 1psi out, can't complain.

 

[OliJ]

My rears were out by about 2psi. Remember to save the tyre pressures via the MMI once you've adjusted them

 

[Martinbanshee]

Yup, remembered to do that, did them cold too

 

[Liquidfusion-S3]

Doesn't tyre pressure depend on the load of the car?
On the side of the door it should give you an indication of what it should be around depending on how many passengers travel in the car.

There isn't a fixed value is there?

 

[Blackwhite]

A couple of weeks ago, I was driving and a ! came up on the instrument cluster and stated:
under inflated right front tire, check and then reset in MMI. I brought it into the service dept. and they found a screw in the tire. Had to replace the tire as Audi
does not patch.

I just found it amazing that the car picked up on this so quick and
knew which tire it was. With my other car I would probably not have noticed till I got a flat.

 

[lozzermo]

Drove mine straight to ATS for nitrogen and inflated to max. Did the same on my S4 and never any problems. There are tolerances re patching based on where the hole is. Something to do with distance from outer edge. If too close and it's a new tyre. Otherwise it's should be repairable.

 

[HawkeyeS3]

Doesn't tyre pressure depend on the load of the car?
On the side of the door it should give you an indication of what it should be around depending on how many passengers travel in the car.

There isn't a fixed value is there?

As you say the pressures dependant on the load of the car are on the drivers door, the only dependency being whether you have the car loaded or not, as per most cars choice of 2 values loaded or unloaded.

 

[glospete]

And of course even if you set the pressures correctly today if the temperature is different tomorrow then so will be the pressures so the absolute pressures are not vital (within reason).
I only noticed yesterday the the door sticker on my A3 has 2 pressures for normal loads - a standard one and another which are quite a few psi lower "if you prefer an extra comfortable setting". Which supports what I say that the absolute pressures are not the be all and end all.

 

[Martinbanshee]

One important factor is getting the difference between front and rear tyres correct as they're very rarely the same.

 

[Leo-RS]

Tyre pressure cold vs tyre pressure hot can be substantial. Depends if you're taking the temps first thing in the morning or after 5 laps of the Nurburgring. They may well be 32psi cold or 38/39 after a few hard laps.

Always go by cold temps

 

[BelDun67]

Just checked my pressures after reading this thread as car was in for service last week, and guess what, all tyres under
by 5-6 psi!! Previous car was the same, although was a different make, must be a common practice by dealers to use
incorrect tyre pressures.

 

[steeve]

Mine were about 6 psi down from the dealer................

 

[cuke2u]

When the car is being transported from the factory the pressures are over inflated. So the dealers must be adjusting them but there equipment is probably not calibrated correctly...

 

[veeeight]

The other caveat about TPMS - it doesn't negate the need to regularly check the tyre pressures on the car.

It will NOT detect a gradual loss of pressure in all 4 tyres simultaneously (eg through natural diffusion) - it's geared up to detect a sudden loss of pressure in one or more tyres.

So you can go weeks/months without checking your tyre pressures and then suddenly find that they are all 10psi under what they are supposed to be !

 

[Martinbanshee]

Having TPMS is certainly no excuse for checking tyres regularly but it's handy for the times you pick up a stray screw/nail in one tyre which has happened to me a few times.

 

[glospete]

The other caveat about TPMS - it doesn't negate the need to regularly check the tyre pressures on the car.

It will NOT detect a gradual loss of pressure in all 4 tyres simultaneously (eg through natural diffusion) - it's geared up to detect a sudden loss of pressure in one or more tyres.

So you can go weeks/months without checking your tyre pressures and then suddenly find that they are all 10psi under what they are supposed to be !

Yep absolutely right veeeight. But this disadvantage is one (of many) of indirect TPMS systems which does not apply to direct systems which are monitoring the actual pressures and, in some cases, temperatures so that ANY loss of pressure will be picked up within seconds. It is a travesty that indirect systems are even allowed to call themselves Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems when they don't do that at all! Measuring the difference in diameter of a tyre against the others is stretching the description methinks?

 

[M1ke H]

I always check the tyres, for both pressure and condition (tread depth, bulges etc) generally weekly and at worst every couple of weeks. I always check first thing in the morning when cold, and it's noticable the difference seasonal temperature variations have! The TPMS worked well for me on two occasions in my former SEAT's when I had issues.

Haven't had a problem with the dealer settings, yet, although I do find the tyre dealers are notoriously bad, even when asking them for specific pressures, and watching them do it! I'm not sure if it's the way they handle the tyres and rims, but they always seem to settle at odd, unequal values.

 

[/dev/null]

Drove mine straight to ATS for nitrogen and inflated to max. Did the same on my S4 and never any problems. There are tolerances re patching based on where the hole is. Something to do with distance from outer edge. If too close and it's a new tyre. Otherwise it's should be repairable.

I always use the free 79% nitrogen inflation hose at my local petrol station and never had any problems.

 

[Blackwhite]

A couple of weeks ago, I was driving and a ! came up on the instrument cluster and stated:
under inflated right front tire, check and then reset in MMI. I brought it into the service dept. and they found a screw in the tire. Had to replace the tire as Audi
does not patch.

I just found it amazing that the car picked up on this so quick and
knew which tire it was. With my other car I would probably not have noticed till I got a flat.

I just wanted to add to my previous
post. The service guy told me the tire would cost 256.00 $ to replace. Thankly I took the audi tire plan when I got my car where whatever happens to my tires, for 3 years they will replace. Flats, screws (previous post), nails, scuff marks and all labor goes with it.

 

[A3_Rider]

Reminds me to check mine.

Does anyone else's S3 steering wheel shake a bit at higher speeds? Thinking wheel alignment hasn't been done right but theres no excessive wear on the inside or outside of the tyre wall.

If the pressure and alignment isn't right the car drives like rubbish, realised this after a year in my old car, it completly transformed!

 

[JohnM100]

Steering wheel shake (not under braking) sounds more like a wheel balance issue or buckled/loose alloy....

 

[RHODIE]

what pressures are being used on S3s.